Car-step.



No. 881,216. PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906. G. W. DAVIS & J. A. HICKS.

CAR STEP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1906 fzvl Ezvroles WITNESSES: y @W A TTORNE Y5 NORFIS PET is o UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. DAVIS AND JOSEPH A. HICKS, OF DENTON, TEXAS.

CAR-STEP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1906;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE W. DAVIS and JOSEPH A. HICKS, citizens of the United States, residing at Denton, in the county of Denton and State of Texas, have invented a new and. useful Car-Step, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to car-steps; and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of its parts as hereinafter described.

The object of the invention is to provide an additional or auxiliary step which is hinged to the lower step of the ordinary set of steps carried by railway-coaches. The step is provided with suitable operating mechanism whereby the hinged step may be swung down into position for use and with a spring mechanism whereby it may be quickly swung up under the bottom fixed step of the car out of the way.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention, showing the step swung down. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the invention, showing the step swung up; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the rear side of the car-steps, showing the operating mechanism of the invention.

The auxi iary step 1 is hinged at the upper edge of its rise to the outer edge of the tread of the lower step 2 of the car.

The shaft 3 is j ournaled to the side 4 of the staircasin the upper end of said shaft extending up sufficiently high to be operated from the platform of the car. (Not shown.) The lower end of said shaft 3 is provided with a gear-wheel 5. The guides 6 6 are fixed to the sides 4 of the staircasing and the crankshaft 7 is journaled in the said guides. The end of the said crank-shaft 7 is provided with a gear-wheel 8, which meshes with the gearwheel 5. The crank 9 of the said shaft 7 is connected, by means of the link 10, with the rear edge of the step 1. The lower end of the coil-spring 11 is attached to the rear edge of the step 1, and the upper end of said coilspring is attached to one of the steps 2 of the coach. The arms 12 12 are pivoted at their lower ends to the rear side of the step 1 and in their under edges and near their upper ends are provided with the shoulders 13. The upper ends of said arms 12 pass through the guides 6 6, and when the step 1 is let down into the position as shown in Fig. 3 the shoul- The device is operated as follows: Presum- I ing that the parts are in the positions as illustrated in Fig. 2, the shaft 3 is rotated, which motion is transmitted through the gearwheels 5 and 8 to the bell-crank shaft 7. The said bell-crank lever 7 describes a partial rotation and the bell-crank 9 thereof sweeps down, carrying with it the link 10, which in turn forces down the step 1 against the tension of the spring 11. When the step 1 is in the lower position, the shoulders 13 of the arms 20 pass under the lower edges of the guides 6 to the step 1 as held in this position against the tension of the said spring 11. When it is desired to elevate or swing up the step 1, the power end of the lever 14 is depressed, which causes the said lever to turn, and this movement carries up the outer ends of the bell-cranks 15 of said lever, which in turn move the shoulders 13 from under the lower edges of the guide 6, and when the said shoulders disengage the said guides the tension of the coil-spring 11 swings the step 1 up into the position as shown in Fig. 2.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with a fixed step a movable step hinged thereto, and means for swinging said hinged step down, a gravity-operated means for holding said. step down, and a spring attached at one end directly to the step and adapted to swing said hinged step up.

2. In combination with a fixed step a movable step hinged thereto, a means for swinging said hinged step down, and locking means attached directly to the hinged step for holding said step in such position, a lock-releasing means, and a spring adapted to swing said step up.

3. In combination with afixed step, a movable step hinged thereto, a means for swinging said step down, a locking means for l1olding said step in such position, a bell-crank lever operating as a lock-releasing means, and a spring adapted to swing said step upl 4. In combination with a fixed step, a movable step hinged thereto, a means for swinging said step down, a locking means for holding said step in such position, a bell-crank lever operating as a lock-releasing means and havin its power end extending along the side of the fixed step, and a spring adapted to swing the movable step up.

5. In combination with a fixed step, a movable step hinged thereto, a means for swinging said step down, a locking means for holding said step in such position consisting of an arm pivoted to the step and having a shoulder, a guide receivingsaid arm, the shoulder of said arm adapted to engage the lower edge of said guide, a means for disengaging said shoulder. from said guide, and a spring adapted to swing the step up.

6. In combination with a fixed step a movable step hinged thereto, a means for swinging said step down consisting of a crank-shaft supported by the fixed step, a link connecting said crank-shaft with the step, a means for operating said crank-shaft to swing the step down, a gravity-operated locking means for holding the said step in such position, a

lock-releasing means, and a spring adapted to swing the step up.

7. In combination with a fixed step a movable step hinged thereto, a means for swinging said step down consisting of a crank-shaft supported by the fixed step, a link pivoted at one end to the crank of said shaft and pivoted at its other end to the hinged step, a vertical shaft journaled to the fixed step, gear-wheels connecting the vertical shaft and crank-shaft together, a locking means adapted to hold the hinged step in its lower position, a lock-releasing means, and a spring adapted to elevate said hinged step.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of twowitnesses.

' GEORGE WV. DAVIS.

JOSEPH A. HICKS. Witnesses:

J. O. BELL, J. N. WHITTOOK. 

